The Cartographers’ Guild is a forum created by and for map makers and aficionados, a place where every aspect of cartography can be admired, examined, learned, and discussed. Our membership consists of professional designers and artists, hobbyists, and amateurs—all are welcome to join and participate in the quest for cartographic skill and knowledge.

Although we specialize in maps of fictional realms, as commonly used in both novels and games (both tabletop and role-playing), many Guild members are also proficient in historical and contemporary maps. Likewise, we specialize in computer-assisted cartography (such as with GIMP, Adobe apps, Campaign Cartographer, Dundjinni, etc.), although many members here also have interest in maps drafted by hand.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ. You will have to register before you can post or view full size images in the forums.

More progress. I reduced the whiteness of the southern and middle part, and also gave the mountains and hills some unusual colours.
In the sea I added rhumb lines, coast lines and a wave pattern for the open sea.

I am well surprised how well the grey undercolor Works out. The repeating Mountain Clusters are also well made. I am too trying to do some clusters for faster mapping. The colors of the icons Reflexe the borders well and i think the Match the Overall saturated style. The additional circles in the lines in the ocean are also some Great asset. Its stunning for me to see your Experiments with every Map!

Well, I'm not as in love with this one as your past works, all the lines, contours and textures in the water get a bit busy for my taste. Beautiful work, as always, I'm just not "feeling" this one like others you've done, LOL. Fascinating color scheme, works better than I would've expected.

Upon the Creation of the World the First Dragons cast their seed in the light of a Sun and a Thousand Suns, beneath the Moon and a Thousand Moons, on a World and a Thousand Worlds.

Looks much better up close than as a thumbnail. I think three sets of radial lines in the water are a bit much though. I do like the way the color gradient on the trees works. It gives a sense of different trees suiting different climates.

Looks much better up close than as a thumbnail. I think three sets of radial lines in the water are a bit much though. I do like the way the color gradient on the trees works. It gives a sense of different trees suiting different climates.

Thank you. Actually I have placed four sets of lines, not three. I'm aware that it looks somewhat crowded, but I want to keep the map potentially useful for a domestic seafarer (not very probable I guess )
I'm happy the gradient on the trees works as intended.

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but aren't rhumb lines an aid to navigation specific to one destination ? I.e. the bearings you have to set to arrive near Biell ... which won't have any practical use if one is navigating the big lake 200 milia NNE of there. So I'd lose the inland rhumbs, as well as any that are nothing but short crossbars on a long estuary. Same with the circles - the sea distance from Biell kind of loses its meaning among the islands off the coast to the north - why bother continuing the Biell concentric circles up there? That's speaking strictly as though I were a real period cartographer -- because if the sole purpose is art or illustration rather than travel, all the systems of lines do look pretty !

The slightly-approximate tinting is wonderful - such no doubt would be hand-done, and not perfectly registered.

I think the city icons are great. They fit the whole very-handdrawn vibe. Some of the labels though... think about how Sr. Manuel Cartographer made this. If it's a one-off, how'd he erase the neat halo around, say, Frotera? Or if he had the forethought to lay it ALL out before starting to ink, I bet he wouldn't have bothered to draw slivers of hill, or by Aolovi a sliver of tree. If I was hand-inking Frotera's label, I'd probably leave the hills alone, and use the clear space to its NW. Mind you, that is no solution for places like the city across the bay from Onas :-(.

How do you keep the concentric coastal wave lines so nice and slightly irregular? We see so many "hand-drawn" maps with what looks like machine-drawn geometrically perfect wave lines.

By the way, Apprentice Cartographer Lucio reports the twitch he developed while engraving all those midocean waves is almost gone, and he should be able to return to work in a fortnight or so. He apologizes for throwing the ripple-edge T-square through your window, and can he please have some of the pay you've withheld to pay for the glass? If he starves, you'll have to break in a new minion.